Before you start cooking, tuck away a little extra syrup—whether you harvested it yourself or bought it from a sugarmaker—to help the Vermont Maple Sugar Makers Association send our troops the taste of a Vermont spring.

For the fifth year, the VMSMA is organizing “Operation Vermont Maple Sweetness 2009.” The VMSMA encourages donations of one gallon of syrup, which will be packaged into one pint containers and shipped to the military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan. Over 8,000 pints of syrup were sent in 2008.

The VMSMA received several heartfelt e-mails from the troops in response to last year’s donations:

• “Thank you for the effort that people in Vermont went through with Operation Vermont Maple Sweetness.”
• “Thanks for the reminder of good things from back home.”
• “The syrup was on the breakfast line and was a big hit with my friends and me.”
• “Thanks for thinking of us and please let the rest of your co-workers know that their actions are appreciated here.”

The deadline for syrup donations is May 1 in order to have the syrup in the soldiers’ hands by Memorial Day. Drop off locations are listed below and on www.vermontmaple.org.

The public may also donate to help cut shipping costs.
For more information, call Rick Marsh 802-644-5482.

You can also send donations to:
Mary Croft, Treasurer
Vermont Maple Sugar Makers Association
491 East Barnard Road
S. Royalton, VT 05068

Drop-off Points for Syrup

Addison County
Dakin Farm, Ferrisburgh
Rheaume Kitchen & Flooring Center, Inc., 2106 Rte 7, South Middlebury

Bennington County
Dutton’s Farm Stand, Manchester
Merck Forest, Rupert

Caledonia County
Maple Grove, St Johnsbury

Chittenden County
Depot Home & Garden, Essex Junction
Peter Purinton, Huntington

Franklin County
VMSMA’s Booth at the Vermont Maple Festival, St. Albans
CDL/Maple Pro, St. Albans
Leader Evaporator, Swanton
Lapierre, Swanton
Dominion & Grimm, Fairfax 

Lamoille County
Vermont Maple Outlet, Jeffersonville
UVM Extension Office, Morrisville
Butternut Mountain Farm Store, Johnson

Orange County
Roger Palmer, Randolph Center
Central Supply, Randolph (or call 802-728-5332)

Orleans County
Couture’s Maple Shop, Westfield
Farm Yard Store, Derby
Desmarias Equipment, Orleans

Rutland County
C.H. Grimm, Rutland  
Richard Green, Poultney

Washington County
Agency of Agriculture, Montpelier
Goodrich Maple Farm, Cabot
Morse Farm, Montpelier

Windham County
Franklin Geist, Saxtons River
UVM Extension Office, Brattleboro
Bascom Maple Farms, Alstead, NH

Windsor County
Gateway Motors, White River Jct
Mary Croft, East Barnard
Green Mountain Sugar House, Ludlow